Cindy Gerard

Today's Get Lost in a Story guest, two-time RITA winning Author Cindy Gerard, wrote a number of category romances for Bantam's Loveswept line and for Silhouette Desire before she plunged into the world of single title romantic suspense action adventures. That plunge gave her the opportunity to create bigger, bolder and grittier novels. Romance Junkies calls her "one of the best authors in the business."

And here's why: Excerpt from WITH NO REMORSE:

Luke Colter’s number one rule of self-preservation: Don’t ignore the itch.

The last time he’d blown off the warning, he’d ended up gut-shot and on life support in a San Salvador hospital. So when he felt that first infinitesimal tickle of unease skitter along the back of his neck, he shot straight to attention.

Nothing looked out of sync inside the gently rocking train as it methodically ate up the miles across the Peruvian Andes in the middle of a very quiet June night. Still, his heart had kicked up like a marathon runner on his last leg so from his seat in the middle of the dimly lit passenger car, he scanned for signs of trouble.

And saw nothing.

God, he was tired. Dog dead tired. He could use another week off but tomorrow it was back to Buenos Aires. Back to the trenches. He swallowed the acid taste of dread.

Suck it up, Nancy boy. It’s not like you’ve got a lot of options.

The military and then Black Ops., Inc. had been his life. The life he’d always wanted. And yet since San Salvador … well. Since San Salvador his backbone seemed to have gone the way of the dodo bird.

Was his mother right? Had he given enough? Had he had enough? Is that what this erosion of his nerve was trying to tell him?

Bleary-eyed, he stared toward the dust and fingerprint smeared windows and pushed back the memory of his mother’s heart-wrenching question and the guilt brought on by her tears.

Outside, the night scrolled by, star-studded and black. Iron wheels on iron rails rumbled and clacked and whined in a rhythmic static of endless white noise.

His hand moved involuntarily to his side. Close to a year later, he still felt the occasional twitch of pain. But it wasn’t the pain that bothered him. More and more lately he woke up in the night tearing at the sheets and drenched in sweat, reliving the shooting one more time.

Enough, all ready. He was so not going there tonight, because damn, it was too easy and too often that he let himself get dragged back into that sucking pit of quicksand. A sure way to get killed in his line of work was to think about dying. About almost dying. About being so scared you’re gonna die that you make promises you know you could never keep. Promises to God. Promises to the devil.

Promises to your mom.

At what point is enough, enough, Luke?

Yeah. Quicksand.

~~~

Well, that's a tough act to follow. Hi, Cindy, I've been looking forward to this interview for a while. Now, I know you're busy and want to get back to the bigger, bolder and gritty stuff you put in your novels, but today is all about letting readers get to know YOU. So put away the keyboard, pull up a chair and let's get down to it.

DONNELL: Big city or small town girl?

CINDY: Small town girl all the way. I grew up in a town of 750 people and now live on an acreage outside of a town of 2500. LOVE the city, though. Just got back from NYC and the RWA conference and had a blast. So much energy there! But it also saps a lot of energy so it’s great to be back home.

DONNELL: Morning or nighttime person?

CINDY: I’m kind of a middle of the roader. I’m generally up and at it by 7:30 at the latest but I like to stay up until around midnight and watch all the shows I’ve DVR’d during the week or read for a while before I go to sleep.

DONNELL: Favorite room in your house?

CINDY: Oh wow. That’s tough. I love my office. Put a lot of thought into the plans when we built it onto the house and in decorating it. I have north, west and south facing windows that I love! I’m constantly watching my bird feeders that I’ve positioned at each window – or watching the fat cats who loves to lay on the window sill (I had them made extra wide just for the two of them) and also watch the birds. So … I guess my office would be at the top of the list. Also love the sunroom and screen porch on the other side of the house where I can see all my hubby’s flowers. Wow, does he have a green thumb.

DONNELL: Which of your characters would you like to invite to dinner? Which of your characters would you least likely invite to dinner?

CINDY: These are tough questions! Man … let me think. I guess I’d like to have the entire E.D.E.N. and BOI crew over for a cookout, cut throat croquet and a poker game. Would love to see all those guys and their ladies interact with each other. Have a feeling there would be a lot of ribbing and trash talk going on. Least likely to invite would be Ryang Wong Jeong, one of the villains from With No Remorse. Did NOT like that guy!

DONNELL: Panster or plotter?

CINDY: Again, a little of both. I absolutely write an outline and use it as a road map. But, having said that, I'm always ready to take a detour along the way. There are a lot of blue highways to be explored on any journey and if I made myself adhere to a strict outline, then I'd miss out on a lot of 'off-road' surprises that add to the story line.

DONNELL: Do you read reviews of your books?

CINDY: Show me an author who doesn’t :o) Okay, maybe there are some authors out there who can resist but I’m not one of them. The good ones energize me and the not so good ones keep me humble. I figure it’s a good combo.

DONNELL: Introvert or Extrovert?

CINDY: If you asked my family and friends they’d tell you I’m an extrovert. I like to laugh, I like to make people laugh and I’m not afraid of drawing attention – MOST of the time. There are times, however, when I feel very much like just fading into the background and letting the stars in the room shine their light.

DONNELL: What’s in your refrigerator right now?

CINDY: Watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, apples, baby spinach, eggs, milk, cheese … maybe a little mold ???

DONNELL: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

CINDY: Yikes. You DO ask tough questions, lady. I don’t know … maybe that in another life I wanted to be a singer? Don’t let me near a microphone or you’ll find out if I’m any good or not :o)

DONNELL: My blog partners make me ask the tough questions and where did I put my my microphone ;) Cindy, what turns you on?

CINDY: Happy, honest people. I love knowing that when I'm with someone, I can count on them to have a positive outlook and that they are honest and sincere.

DONNELL: What turns you off?

CINDY: Unhappy, deceitful people. We all have our ‘issues’ to deal with. Life isn’t always fun or pretty but it’s what you make of the good times that get you through the bad. Bring your troubles to me, yes, but please, don’t expect me to wallow in them with you … instead be ready to put the best possible foot forward and make the best of a bad situation. And don’t ever lie to me. I hate that.

DONNELL: Dog person or cat person?

CINDY: Up until 6 years ago, I'd have said dog. We've always had a dog--sometimes more than one. Right now, Margaret, our Brittany Spaniel is our little girl. Nearly 6 years ago, however, 2 little cats (Sly and Buddy) found their way into our house through the doggie door. There was no keeping them out ... and we have grown to love them more than we would ever have imagined. They are special, magical, little creatures who have not only entered our home but our hearts.

DONNELL: What a terrific story. What question are you never asked in interviews, but wish you were?

CINDY: I can tell you what question I'm OFTEN asked ans wished I wasn't: Where do you get your ideas? LOL. Wish I knew. :)

DONNELL: What’s the first thing you do when you finish a book?

CINDY: Take a deep breath, pray for light revisions and start on another project. No rest for the weary ;o) NOT complaining. I’m very happy to have the work and the support of my fans and my publisher and my amazing agent.

DONNELL: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

CINDY: Oh, wow. So many! Because of the writing, I have traveled to places I never imagined I could have gone – just this past March, for example, I was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Australian Romance Reader’s conference and got to see New Zealand and Australia. But more than that, I never dreamed I’d meet so many wonderful people and make so many friends. I have friends all over the world as a result of my writing – and I consider that wealth of amazing new people in my life the equivalent of a dream come true.

DONNELL: If you had a chance to talk with someone, past or present, who would it be?

CINDY: My Mom and Dad. They’ve both been gone for a number of years now and I would dearly love to catch them up on what’s happened in my life since I lost them. They would be so in love with our grandchildren :o)

DONNELL: What a lovely sentiment. I know they would love their grandchildren, too.

READERS & FANS OF CINDY GERARD, NOW IT'S CINDY'S TURN AND SHE HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU:

CINDY: I would love to ask the lovely people who visit the blog if they are a dog or cat person (love that question) and what do they love about their own special pet? I’ll give away a copy of "WITH NO REMORSE" to someone who posts.

To learn even more about the incomparable Cindy Gerard, check out her webpage at http://www.cindygerard.com/

There you have it, Readers, answer Cindy's question and make sure you leave an e-mail address so we can contact you. Join us tomorrow at Get Lost in a Story when Angi hosts ANGIE FOX!!!

DON’T FORGET to LIKE us on FACEBOOK and FOLLOW us on TWITTER or just stop by every day to catch all our guests and their new releases. Have a great week! ~ Donnell

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an electronic Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.